Our Mission

The Tom and Ethel Bradley Foundation was founded in 2002 to further Mayor Bradley's legacy of promoting social justice and civic harmony. The goal of this non-profit foundation is to teach and prepare individuals to become responsible citizens and build the capacity of communities and institutions to solve their own problems through the practice of "Intentional Civility."

Tom Bradley

For 20 years Tom Bradley reigned as the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles, transforming a once culturally fragmented town into a booming cosmopolitan metropolis. Elected the first Black mayor in 1973, Tom Bradley spent the next 20 years developing Los Angeles into an important world city the overtook San Francisco as the financial capital of the state and much of the west. Under his leadership LA developed a major international airport, expanded its port into a transportation hub and hosted the 1984 Olympic Games, bringing the city great publicity and profit. Mr. Bradley spent a lifetime bridging racial barriers and masterfully forged coalitions between the races, labor and business.

Ethel Bradley

First Lady of the City of Los Angeles for 20 years, Ethel Bradley was a fiery, tenacious individual with extraordinary organizational skills. She worked with grassroots individuals and also professionals and the social elite to develop interracial coalitions committed to social justice, peace and racial harmony. As the longest sitting First Lady, Mrs. Bradley elevated the role to one of service, dedication and humanitarianism. She was also the inspirational lead of the Las Angelenas, a diverse group of more than 100 women from throughout the city who served as hostesses for visiting foreign dignitaries and coducted tours of Los Angeles City Hall.

Promoting Intentional Civility

Intentional Civility is a philosophy that takes us beyond mere politeness and good manners, to fundamental issues of how to generate a new meaning of citizenship in a global society. Designed to provide the tools of both personal introspection and communication, Intentional Civility aims to promote individual self-actualization and a greater understanding of every individual's personal responsibility in society. By teaching people at all ages and levels in society social responsibility, we hope cultivate ethical community development and sustainability to serve the common good.